Rod Dixon holds court five minutes from downtown Victoria in a rain-soaked, gravel parking lot at the back of the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre. He has an enraptured audience; a handful of early-arrival runners who have come to spend six hours listening to him talk about the finer details of training. He is here as a representative of the Lydiard Foundation, along with co-founder Nobuya, 'Nobby' Hashizume.
On first meeting Rod Dixon at 6:30 a.m., one would be remiss to blame him for being a bleary-eyed guest however, he is anything but that. After all, he is a much traveled Kiwi with an American address or two - he gets around. He is highly engaging, entertaining and perpetually energetic, talking with his hands in smooth, sweeping gestures. He lights up the early morning grayness with his giant, ivory grin; he seems more rock star than running legend.
